On January 26th, 2015, the National Domestic Workers Alliance will proudly launch the Beyond Survival Fund, an emergency fund for domestic worker survivors of human trafficking in our membership. This fund will provide urgent financial relief to help survivors rebuild their lives and to ensure their voices are included in advocacy.

Labor advocates expected 2015 to be the year that some long-overdue respect finally comes to workers who provide home-based care for seniors and people with disabilities. But just as a federal reform granting those workers minimum wage and overtime pay was to be enacted this month, a district court judge has ruled in favor of the industry’s objections to giving home care workers equal rights. With the revisions blocked for now, the new year brings more hardship and uncertainty to a workforce on which hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people depend.

Emily puts in long days, often working 16 hours in one day. But she doesn’t get a dime of overtime pay; her employer pays her the same daily rate as if she worked 12 hours no matter how many she actually did. That’s because she’s a home care worker, and under a current loophole called the “companionship exemption,” she and her coworkers aren’t required to be paid overtime or minimum wage.

2014 was a banner year for NDWA. The year marked several milestones for our domestic worker movement. Through bold and innovative action we continued to win dignity and respect for nannies, housecleaners and care workers. Domestic workers across the country continued to lead the movement for low-wage immigrant and women of color to change the way our economy and society value their work. As an alliance we grew to 45 affiliates harnessing the power of domestic workers through training, strategy and base building.